1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary device for front seats of a motor vehicle, wherein both a driver seat and a front passenger seat are rotatable in such a manner that each seat is capable of taking an ordinary forwardly facing position and a rearwardly facing position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A multi-purpose motor vehicle wherein both a driver seat and an assistant driver or front passenger seat are rotatable and capable of taking an ordinary forwardly facing position and a rearwardly facing position is known.
One example of a rotary device for front seats of the above-mentioned type of motor vehicle is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Gazette No. 59-227528. As a safety measure, this device provides that a driver seat should always be in the rearwardly facing position when a passenger seat is turned to a rearwardly facing position, and likewise that the passenger seat should always be in the forwardly facing position when the driver seat is turned to the forwardly facing position. This device also provides that an operation lever for detecting the position of the above-mentioned seats and an engaging pin for engaging with a rotation release lever are connected by means of a remote control or a remotely operated cable or wire. However, such a rotary device involves some disadvantages due to mechanical operation thereof by such remote control wire. For example, special consideration must be given to install a remote control wire, especially when there is a projecting portion (a tunnel portion) between a driver seat and a front passenger seat, as in ordinary passenger cars. As a result, mounting a remote control wire leads to a complex construction and a troublesome assembly operation of the body of the vehicle.
As discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Gazette No. 61-202934, a rotary seat device controlled by a control cable to prevent a situation such that a driver seat is in a forwardly facing position but an assistant driver or front passenger seat is in a rearwardly facing position also is known. However, this device also entails complexity of mounting the control cable in the same way as the device utilizing the remote control wire described above.